This invention relates to apparatus and a method for individualizing disposable drinking cups, to distinguish the cup of one user from that of another. Disposable drinking cups are extremely popular for the convenience they offer in situations in which large numbers of people are served. As is well known, disposable cups are offered by manufacturers in plastic or paper, and may be had in plain, unadorned form, in colors, or with decorative designs. Cups are typically purchased in bulk, and in the usual case, all of the cups in a given package are similar, if not identical, in appearance. This leads to situations in which the drinks of individual users, when put down momentarily, cannot be distinguished from one another. Thus, individuals often cannot identify their own drinks and are faced with the choice of drinking from a cup which may have been used by another, or abandoning what may indeed may be their own drink.
Where confusion occurs of one drink for another, the results are unsanitary, and potentially injurious to health. On the other hand, when one unneccessarily abandons a cup because it cannot positively be identified, the result is wasteful, and uneconomical.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,877, to Kosisky, it was proposed to provide a circular tray having circumferentially spaced openings, marked with the names of individual users. Cups, also bearing the names of the individual users, are associated with the openings. Such an arrangement permits the identification of cups and drinks, but in order for the disclosed technique to work, the cups must be returned to the tray.
The present invention facilitates positive identification of individual cups, without the need, however, for any external apparatus such as the tray of the above-mentioned patent.
Thus, it is a general object of the present invention to provide for individualized disposable drinking cups. It is another object to provide a relatively inexpensive and easily effectuated system for individualizing disposable drinking cups, and avoiding the problem of confusion as between drinks of large numbers of persons at an event. Still another object is to provide a method for marking and distinguishing cups, one from the other.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.